Hurricane Matthew Evacuation Urgent Evacuation Notice

Based upon the anticipated arrival of Hurricane Matthew, Hilton Head Island Fire Rescue will be evacuating all personnel from the island on Friday October 7th. In order to ensure all personnel are evacuated prior to tropical storm conditions the evacuation will begin at 7:00 a.m. Friday, October 7th. Evacuation will be complete by approximately 12:00 p.m. on Friday, October 7th. This means there will be no response personnel or equipment available after this time.

Starting on Friday, Tropical Storm conditions are expected, with hurricane conditions likely. We can expect to see sustained winds of about 25-30 miles per hour with wind gusts greater than 39 miles per hour arriving between 1:00 and 2:00 p.m.

Sustained winds of tropical storm force (greater than 39 miles per hour) are expected to arrive at approximately 6:00 p.m. on Friday, October 7th.

Sustained winds of hurricane force (greater than 74 miles per hour) are expected to arrive at approximately 5:00 a.m. on Saturday October 8th.

Officials are urging residents to evacuate as soon as possible as there will be no emergency responders available on the island.